


We'll be ok

by SegoeSpirit



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adorable Papyrus (Undertale), Alternate Universe, Babybones (Undertale), Badster, Big Brother Sans (Undertale), Child Abandonment, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Happy Ending, Evil W. D. Gaster, Gen, I'm begging you, Kind of an au?, Medical Experimentation, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Papyrus (Undertale) Knows More Than He Lets On, Papyrus (Undertale)-centric, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Pre-Canon, Pre-Undertale, Protective Papyrus (Undertale), Protective Sans (Undertale), Racism, Sans (Undertale)-centric, Suffering, Tags May Change, eventual badster, just a warning, pls help me tag this along the way :'D, pov switching, sans trying his best, will have some graphic stuff eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-12-26 01:45:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18273281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SegoeSpirit/pseuds/SegoeSpirit
Summary: After a long foreseen civil conflict finally comes crashing through monster society, an eight-year-old Sans and four-year-old Papyrus are left to fend for themselves.  After nearly a year, stress is building up, and Sans is realizing they're not going to be able to survive the Underground on their own for forever.  But what can he do, when he can't trust anyone but himself and his only family?Keep Paprus safe on the shoreline and throw himself into the icy, unknown waters first.





	1. Stupid Donuts

**Author's Note:**

> Going to try updating this at least every two weeks :) 
> 
> Any feedback and critiques are greatly appreciated!  
> Also, if you feel that I should add a tag, please let me know!
> 
> I hope to write longer chapters in the future, but for now--
> 
> Enjoy! ^^

Sans was still like prey. Listening carefully for any danger, his eyes remained closed in a mock sleep as his back was supported by the cool wall of their cave. He had just woken up. Papyrus could be heard shuffling about their little hideout, the four-year-old humming energetically as he entertained himself with whatever fascinating objects he happened to find around their tiny home. All was safe and calm, the only sounds from the outside of their cave were the familiar echoes of water dripping from the cavern ceilings of Waterfall. Sans let his breathing fall back into a normal rhythm, his limbs relaxed back to how they had been under the spell of sleep.

“G’mornin’ Pap.” The older murmured as he cracked open an eyesocket. He was greeted by the soft, cool colors of blue light emitted by the Echo Flowers that grew within their little cave. Papyrus was sitting with a carefully balanced stack of rocks. The tiny skeleton flicked his gaze up from his home decorating.

“Good morning Sans!” Papyrus chirped, a bright smile on his face as he jumped up to his current height of three feet and rushed over to the side of the cave opposite of Sans. Snatching up something from the ground, Papyrus turned and quickly made his way over to his older brother who was starting to sit up straighter, seeming to struggle slightly in doing so. The younger held out his hands, offering a crab apple to Sans.

“Where’s yours?” The older questioned, eyeing the apple, but he didn’t make a move to take it. Papyrus was smaller and far more active, so he always had first pickings in Sans’ book. How many had they had left last night? He couldn’t remember, his mind felt fuzzier than usual; odd.

There was a slight delay, and if Sans wasn’t still groggy, he would’ve been suspicious, but Papyrus eventually answered. “You slept through mealtime, so I already had mine!” He brought the apple further forward, more adamant that Sans take it.

Blinking, Sans took the apple. “I did?” Papyrus nodded with a small sound of confirmation before turning on his heels to go continue mocking gravity with his decorative rock towers.

Sans murmured a ‘thank you’ which was immediately returned with a happy ‘you’re welcome!’ The older huffed in satisfaction and cleaned the slightly dusty apple on his raggedy, pale blue and white striped sweater. The fabric used to be much brighter. He took a bite out of the magic-filled fruit and immediately his mind felt clearer, but still not one-hundred percent. In fact, he still felt incredibly tired, but it was different . . . Somehow. Oh well. Maybe he practiced with magic too much yesterday. Speaking of . . . The eight-year-old dug into his pants pocket, still eating away at his breakfast as his phalanges tapped against a familiar metal object. He brought out a cheap brass pocket watch, pausing a minute to trace its not-so-intricate, but familiar designs. Sans opened it. 8:47 a.m. Wow, he did sleep in. Might as well just rest, then. Save energy for tomorrow’s magic practice. Plus—Sans looked over to the large, blue jacket on the ground where Papyrus had taken the last apple—he’s going to have to go out later to get more food. As always, his soul felt as if it constricted at the thought. It’s been almost a year, or at least he thinks it has been; and yet, despite having to go out for food every three to four days, every time the fear he felt of doing so was still just as fresh and sharp as it had been from the first time, maybe even worse. What if something finally goes wrong? Papyrus wouldn’t know where he would be. Would his little brother leave the safety of their cave to look for him by himself? Only to be found by some other monster—

Sans shook his head, his breathing had become shallower, faster. He shouldn’t think like that. It could affect his magic and make all those fears come true--

“Sans?” Papyrus’ voice brought Sans out of his thoughts, and the older held his breath as he looked over at the concerned face of the smaller monster. Papyrus had stopped sorting through his pile of various rocks and was simply staring and picking anxiously at the sleeves of his own blue and white-striped sweater. When his only guardian was scared, Papyrus didn’t feel safe, and all the small monster wanted to do now was to fix what the problem was. Sans was shaking; was he cold? He keeps looking at their cave’s entrance; did he hear a bad monster?

Sans didn’t want a repeat of past events. This has happened a few times before; Sans ended up scaring himself like a Temmie seeing their shadow for the first time, and Papyrus would do everything in his power to make the other happy again. Which would be fine, and really comforting for Sans to see that his brother was becoming a kind-souled, compassionate monster—like all skeletons should be—but Papyrus tended to ask a lot of questions. Questions to things Sans didn’t want to talk about, partly for himself, and partly for Papyrus. It seemed like his little brother had forgotten those chaotic and terrifying events from that day everything changed; and if Papyrus hadn’t understood enough of what happened to their family to remember, then it was for the best. Sans didn’t want to see that horrified, lost, and confused expression on the face of his now only family member. So he did his best to act as if nothing was wrong. Like how his father once did to soothe his children’s worries; though Sans didn’t realize this echoing of behavior.

“Yeah? Did you need something?” Sans gave his best reassuring smile.

Upon seeing the change in expression, Papyrus looked confused, but at least the visible tension in his bones relaxed. “Did you hear a person?”

With slight hesitation, Sans decided to go along with the other’s assumption. He shook his head ‘no.’ “Thought I did, but I think it was just a rock fallin’ down outside. We’re ok, Pap.” Papyrus still kept staring at Sans. The older, not really knowing how to continue, anxiously diverted his gaze to Papyrus’ newest rock tower. “Wow, that’s lookin’ good, is it almost done?”

At the acknowledgment, Papyrus’ eyes beamed; a drastic switch from their previous worry. “Yes! I’m gonna make more around the Echo Flowers too! They deserve to have decorations too because they help us see, so I’m going to give them something pretty to see as a present!”

“A present!” An echo flower nearby repeated.

“Something pretty.” Said another.

With a delighted gasp, Papyrus pointed excitedly for Sans to look at the flowers. “Sans! They do want a present!”

Letting out a soft, caring—but tired—laugh, Sans nodded. “That’s really nice of you, Pap. I’m sure they’ll love—”

“Echo Flowers.” Repeated a flower.

With an indignant noise, Papyrus looked over at the offender of social conduct. “Yes, I know you all are Echo Flowers!” Papyrus huffed at the outspoken flora. “And inter- er . . .” He struggled with the bigger word. “interrupting is rude!”

“Interrupting is rude!” It repeated.

“Yes! Now, wait your turn!” With that, Papyrus looked back at an amused Sans, silently telling him to continue.

But Sans really couldn’t think of anything to add to the conversation. “Uh, nothin-“

“Wait your turn.” The echo flower chimed in.

“NYEH!”

 

. . .

“No more apples, Sans!” Papyrus followed Sans as the taller slowly walked over to the blue jacket on the floor. “I want the donuts you got last time!” When Sans shook his head ‘no’ with an apologetic look, Papyrus let out a discontented huff. They both stayed in silence like that for a few moments while Papyrus gave him the stink eye. Then the smaller grasped at his own blue striped shirt and began to stretch it out of frustration. Sans gave him an unimpressed, warning look.

“Hey, Pap, don’t do that to your shirt. That’s how you ruined your orange one.”

“No!”

Sans let out a tired sigh, but tried to maintain as much limited patience that a tired eight-year-old could hold. “Pap, please.”

“No!”

The older groaned and dragged a hand over his face as the younger continued to use his ever-deteriorating shirt as blackmail. Papyrus was usually well-behaved, always happy with even the smallest things in life. Always making do with what little they had and improvising with his environment to surprise Sans. Heck, he was building those cool little towers out of the small rocks in their cave to ‘decorate’ their home . . . and mock gravity as the smaller had put it. He was smart for his age. To others, scarily so . . . but being Papyrus’ older brother, Sans would only feel pride and admiration. His brother would no doubt be amazing when he got older. An engineer, maybe? Sans took a quick, hopeful glance at his small stack of science magazines that sat across the cave. Scientist?

A small thud sounded as Papyrus threw himself to the ground. 

Oh. Great. Ignoring him usually worked, but Papyrus wasn’t giving up. So, that meant . . . Sans glanced down at the jacket that once held the last crabapple. Papyrus said that there had been another one and he ate it. Sans had believed him, figuring he was just more tired than usual and hadn’t noticed that they had more food than what he initially thought. But . . . judging by the rare spectacle of a tantrum before him, Papyrus had lied. And for what? For all Sans acknowledged his brother’s intelligence, sometimes he just couldn’t understand the other’s logic. And he really didn’t want to deal with a hungry Papyrus . . .

“Pap, you know I was only able to get you those because that lady happened to have them . . .”

“No!”

“I don’t know where the donuts are, Pap . . .”

“No!”

“You know I’d get you anything if I could-“

“Then get them now!”

“I can’t!”

“But last time!”

“I just said-“ Sans gave up. “Okay. I’m gonna go and try to get you some sweets, alright? But only if you stop being upset and stand up . . .” He added extra emphasis by sharply pointing his index finger in an upwards motion.

The reaction was immediate, and Papyrus hopped up and squealed with delight. That was going to make Sans feel even more guilty later, but right now he was too exhausted to care. He had fallen back asleep shortly after Papyrus finished lecturing their echo flowers, but it was like it did nothing at all. His legs were wobbly as if he had just run from New Home to Waterfall and back. But they needed food, and he could rest more in some other hidden place when he got out of their cave.

“Yay! Thank you Sans!” Papyrus bounced around him. “Can I come with you this time, too?!”

“No, Pap.” His patience was slipping. How does his brother have so much energy? He faintly recalls being just as energetic before . . . A chill ran up his spine. He didn’t want to think about that. Not around Papyrus. “When you’re bigger I can show you how to get food, but for now, stay here.”

Papyrus deflated a bit, but perhaps the thought of getting something that deviated from their dull, everyday routine kept him from falling into another fit. Mission accomplished. Sans turned and snatched the large blue jacket off the ground with little enthusiasm. It was too big for either of them to wear, so they just used it occasionally as a bed or for gathering food. The taller skeleton carefully made his way to the entrance that led to the more abandoned tunnels of Waterfall. He began to angle himself sideways so he could slip through the narrow opening; however, fast, frantic footsteps that grew louder as they neared Sans made him stop and look over his shoulder. He only saw a flash of white before he was nearly tackled to the ground with a hug. Sans let out a startled breath as he just barely caught himself with his fatigued limbs. Frustration surged through his soul as his palm painfully scrapped against a sharper section of rock on the cavern wall, and the older skeleton was about to finally lose it and scold Papyrus for everything the younger had done within the past ten minutes—But . . . then he registered the anxiousness in the other’s tight grip. Hesitating, Sans felt his anger fade away. He could never stay mad at his little brother. They only had each other, after all.

“Make sure you come back!” Papyrus demanded.

“I’d never leave you alone if I could help it, Papyrus. Don’t worry.” Sans sighed, internally reprimanding himself for getting angry. He went to his knees and gave his younger brother a reassuring hug. Sans knew Papyrus hated being left alone, but it couldn’t be helped. The smaller always bore through his loneliness and fear with valor, something admirable for one so young. Sans didn’t know what he’d do without such a cool brother. He pulled away and rubbed the top of his brother’s skull with his hand. “I might be a little late, but keep your fingers crossed so I can find you something better to eat.”

Papyrus’ gaze narrowed, experienced enough with his older brother’s habits to notice how Sans tried to make loopholes for himself. “Donuts.”

Sans held up his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright, I’ll do my best to make sure that I find donuts. Nothing else.” It would still probably end up being something else. If anything at all because—

“Promise?” Wide, curious black eye sockets stared at Sans, testing him ever so slightly. Papyrus just never stopped pushing his limits, didn’t he? Like when an infant, learning about the world, keeps dropping its food plate to the ground to make sure it will indeed fall to the floor, much to the parent’s despair.

“Papyrus . . .” Sans raised a brow in a small warning. “You know the rule.” The day Papyrus had figured out the concepts of debts and blackmail was a time when everyone quickly learned you should never promise anything to a child that knew how to guilt-trip.

He got a nod and a pout in response.

“Okay, be good. I’ll be back later. Love ya bro.” With that, he took his hand away and began the painstaking process of shimming himself through the long, narrow opening. He usually opted to just teleport to the other side, but he was still feeling too weary, and Sans knew his magic wouldn’t be as reliable.

“Love you Sans! Good luck!” Papyrus called out as Sans began tiredly trudging down the tunnel.

He went down the abandoned, dim path for a little while before stopping as he spotted a suitable little niche in the wall, waterfall grass and budding echo flowers were growing against the walls in this section. The thicket would keep him considerably hidden from any rare passersby. Hardly anyone came down this darker, more cramped part of Waterfall. It was why he treasured the cave they had managed to find back here so much. He laid the jacket on the ground and huddled into the crevice. Digging into his pants pocket, he drew out the small pocket watch he had kept close to him for the past almost-year. Sans pondered briefly on how he should start marking the days. 4:12pm. He had about two hours before he could go to the turtle’s shop. Sans put the watch back into his pocket before letting his eyes fall shut. 

Sleep came all too quickly.


	2. Not The Apples-!  Damnit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans goes out to get food. Has a bad time.
> 
> But some apples get stole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNINGS:  
> First half: Some mild violence [People getting shoved around], massacres, mentions of murdering children.  
> Third half: Bullying
> 
> Any constructive criticism & feedback is always greatly appreciated! ^^
> 
> Enjoy!

_BOOM_

Small bones rattled. Curled up on the floor of their bedroom, Sans’ grasp on his little brother tightened protectively when he saw the ceiling in the living room shutter one final time and cave in. They had to get out of the house. They had to- but, what was outside- the sight they had been greeted with was viscous turmoil and dust. Other skeletons fleeing, holding up injured family members of their own as enraged, LV-driven monsters pursued them. Their attackers were outnumbered, maybe by ten or fifteen to one, but that didn’t matter. These few monsters with a life-span long enough to live long past the war, with enough grudges against clans like Sans’, with LV high enough to block out their hesitation to harm, they were easily overtaking their victims. Not everyone could teleport, and Sans barely knew how to do so himself. The soon to be tomb that was their house felt safer compared to meeting those deadly, enraged eyes and claws and teeth that awaited them out that front door.

Sans buried his face into his sobbing brother’s shoulder, who in turn was hiding his own eyes against Sans’ chest. He didn’t know what to do. His panicked mind just kept telling him to stay still and not make a sound. 

The front door slammed open, and they both flinched. Hurried footsteps followed. They were light and familiar. Hope ignited in Sans’ soul and his eyes darted up, squinting to see through what was, thankfully, only the air-born dust from the broken ceiling. A tall, recognizable silhouette was looking frantically around the ruins of the house.

“Dad!” Sans cried out.

Their father heard him and immediately spun around to face them. The older skeleton was clumsy in his desperation to run over to the bedroom, dodging the scattered debris from the ceiling. He was wearing casual attire, having been visiting neighbors before this sudden calamity had started. Half of his left sleeve was torn off, and the upper half had claw marks as if something had tried and failed to grab him.

“Sans, Papyrus!” Raw relief could be heard from their guardian’s voice. “Come here!” Knees hit the ground and larger phalanges grabbed Sans and pulled him into a familiar embrace. Sans tightened his grip on his brother as they were moved. 

“We need to leave.” His father’s voice was shaky, but desperately hanging on to a soothing calmness. “Sans, listen to me, I need you to try and teleport us to the castle, alright? Can you think of the castle?”

Sans hesitated before nodding stiffly. He could picture the castle clearly, could almost feel its still, clear air; so much better than the choking, dusty atmosphere that smothered them now. But he didn’t have a grasp on teleporting yet--he could barely go anywhere that wasn’t three feet away! His father knew that, but when Sans met his terrified gaze, urging him, there was no choice but to try. So, he screwed his eyes shut tightly to block out his surroundings. His father brought both him Papyrus closer.

“It’s ok, Sans, just try.” His voice was calmer now, enough reassurance in it to slow Sans’ racing soul so he could concentrate. Magic encompassed the small family.

Then there was the void.

The sounds of carnage were gone.  
.  
.  
.  
And then the sounds were back.

Sans jumped when the deafening screaming and booming returned all at once. Sounds merging until they were just one, big, horrid cacophony that shook him to his very core. He couldn’t look around since he was pressed tightly into his father’s chest. The larger skeleton tensed when he, too, realized that they hadn’t escaped.

“Shit- ok, ok. It’s fine Sans, I just wanted to try- It’s ok, Papyrus.” Their father rocked them for a few moments before he began to stand, picking his sons up with him. However, before he could get all three of them entirely off the ground, he went still. The front door slammed shut, and now there were heavy footsteps, accompanied by the sound of jangling armor in the hallway. Their father quickly straightened and let go of them, setting Sans on his feet and Sans kept his hold on Papyrus. 

Both children looked around with wide eyes. They had indeed barely moved three feet and were still in the bedroom. Even worse, Sans could feel his magic levels dropped far too low for another attempt. He took in labored breaths between sobs. When had he started crying? More tears swelled around his eyes as the footsteps got closer. He had failed. The monster was going to hurt them because he couldn’t—their father quickly ushered both Sans and Papyrus away from the bedroom doorway to hide them behind the bed and between the farthest wall. The footsteps were getting louder, stopping periodically to swing open the doors to other rooms in the house. 

Their father firmly gripped Sans’ shoulders to get his attention. “Hide here, and don’t make a sound. Whatever happens, Papyrus is who you need to keep safe, understand?”

Sans met his eyelights and nodded. Papyrus had quieted and was now twisting himself around in Sans’ arms to look at their father with wide, searching eyes. Their father gave them one last look, with an expression Sans couldn’t name, before turning and walking swiftly into the right hallway towards the intruder, disappearing from view. The brothers could hear the footsteps come to a sudden stop, apprehensively listening for their father and the other monster above the chaos outside.

“Latha . . .” A deep, gravelly voice rumbled through the walls when their father revealed himself.

“Wait,” Latha, the skeleton, started. “I don’t-“

“-Want to fight? I can guess that much.” The monster’s tone darkened at the skeleton’s passiveness.

There was a pause.

“Why have you done this to us? What did we do? I-I thought--”

Sans recoiled slightly into the shadow of the bed. Their dad was usually calm and collected. Right now, he sounded desperate, hopeless. Papyrus seemed to notice too, a whimper leaving his teeth. Sans shushed him quickly.

“You know it’s not about what you’ve done. It’s what you and the other weak-willed clans haven’t done! Didn’t do!” A snarl shook the walls. “I still don’t know why Asgore allowed you all to flee into the mountain with us. After all of the _nothing_ your kinds did during the war. He should have left you to be destroyed by the humans.” The heavier footsteps started again as the monster advanced towards their father.

“I-it’s been three centuries since the war.” There was a small hint of exasperation in the Latha’s words. “You know we can’t fight like-“ Their father stumbled, or rather, was shoved into view. He glanced towards the direction of his sons, and then wrenched his gaze away, straining to act like they didn’t exist. Sans and Papyrus peaked around the corner of the bed.

“So what?” The monster spat, his hate unwavering. “War is all about sacrifice. With your species’ strength, strength that nearly rivals even a boss monster, we. Could. Have. **Won!** ” The last syllable was roared and a dusty, scaled hand seized their father roughly by the throat. It was a grey, armor-wearing crocodile monster who threw their father into the bedroom and onto the floor. Latha let out a choked noise as his spine collided with the ground. He brought up a hand to the vertebrae of his neck as pained coughs forced their way out. “We’d never have been banished to live like worms under this forsaken mountain. Food is getting scarcer the longer we stay down here, and all you skeletons are doing is wasting it; wasting space. Like always.” He clenched his fist. “This your fault, Latha. My daughter, our families-“ A brief phase of sadness dulled the monster’s eyes before he cut himself off. “Forget it . . . No one wants your kind here. It doesn’t matter what Asgore says . . .” His eyes flared again and a low, constant growl erupted from his maw. “I even bet you made some kind of deal in the war with those savages, with the way your kind was always speaking so civilly with them. Only when that one, brave skeleton took appropriate action, you all nearly got wiped out anyway.” He scoffed in fake amusement. “A species supposedly so against fighting gets stabbed in the back by one of their own. Why should we trust you now?” The question sounded mockingly close to being genuinely inquisitive. Like it truly mattered if they started trusting each other right this moment. The screams outside were getting fewer and fewer in number. “Go on, admit all of your lies. Clear your conscience and restore honor to your clan before I kill you.”

“You know that’s not true!” Latha hissed. His fear was beginning to be replaced by anger and betrayal. “We did our best to help all monsters survive in the war and down here! You keep poisoning other monster’s minds against us, and now against your own king! We always made sure the rest of monster-kind was well-fed and clothed before we took anything for ourselves--”

“Shut up!” A tooth-like magic bullet, moving too quickly to really be seen, zoomed past and narrowly missed Latha’s head, lodging itself deep into the ground near the bed. Latha shot a panicked glance over his shoulder. The crocodile smirked, seeming to misinterpret the skeleton’s concern. “If you really are so desperate to help monster-kind, then this can be your last favor to us-” 

“If you’re going to kill me.” Latha interrupted, his voice was firm and unwavering. He threw another quick glance at the bed. “Don’t you want to do it in front of your men out there? Make an example of your victory? A new age? Whatever kind of peace you’re trying to establish?” 

The crocodile hesitated, confusion morphing onto his face. That is, before his eyes lit up and his mouth quirked upwards into a condescending grin. “What an oddly good suggestion coming from the one who’s about to be dust.” He let out a reptilian hiss as he raised a magic-coated hand. “I think not. You skeletons are so clever and slippery. I can see right through your plans. Now, Latha the Judge, I-” He stopped. His muzzle raised to sniff the air, eyes narrowing. “Ah . . . That’s right, you have two sons now . . . They are still here, aren’t they?” The crocodile’s yellow, predatory eyes scanned the dust-filled atmosphere of the room. There weren’t many places to hide, so he quickly glared at the bed, soon spotting the two smaller skeletons as they ducked away from his piercing gaze.

“W-wait, don’t touch them!” There were some desperate, scrabbling noises from the floor before Sans and Papyrus saw their father’s head rise just barely into view. Papyrus started to get restless, blind panic seeping into both children’s souls, but Sans grabbed the smaller before he could scramble over to their father. The faint fizzle of magic coming into existence was heard.

There was silence for a moment.

“Are you actually . . ?” The murderous monster scoffed. “You’re the only one to actually try to fight to protect your family . . . out of your whole clan.” His intrigue died down to disdain. “You skeletons really did lie about being unable to fight. Now that everyone else in your clan is gone, dying for your pathetic, cowardice secret, there’s no point in hiding it, is there?!” The LOVE filled monster summoned his own bullets. 

Sans and Papyrus instinctively backed up against the wall, trying to get as far away from the threatening magical energy. They could see everything.

Booming sounds of magic hitting magic, walls crumbling around them, and Papyrus’ shrieking filled Sans’ mind. The air filled with more dust as he started to choke, and only vaguely he realized he could feel the faint vibration of dying magic in some of the dust that clung to him.

~*~

With a yelp, Sans ripped himself out of his nightmare. His ribs heaved until his vision was blurry and filled with black spots that flickered in and out of existence. The small skeleton could hardly put any two thoughts together as he wildly scanned his unfamiliar surroundings. It still smelled like blood and marrow—dust—it was suffocating him-Where was he? Where’s Papyrus? He tried to scrabble his way to his feet, but his hands and feet tingled and were beginning to numb from the excess oxygen. His limbs buckled under him and Sans fell back onto his stomach. It knocked enough air out of him to snap him out of his struggling, and he laid there for a while.

The memory was beginning to fade, Sans pushing it into the back of his mind with all of his might, grasping for reality. He was laying out halfway in the tunnel’s path and halfway in the niche where the jacket laid ever since it had been cast away in his tossing and turning. When his breathing finally began to calm, Sans slowly pulled himself to sit up. Nausea crept its way into his throat, and adrenaline made his limbs continue to shake, adding to their stubborn unwillingness to move correctly. Sans glanced up and down the path with wary eyes, checking for monsters.  
.  
.  
.  
Nothing.

Relieved, the small skeleton sat there for another few moments, eyes locked onto the ground and crossing his arms to hold himself steady, collecting his thoughts, shoving away the instinctive urge to seek out his father-

Why was he sleeping out here again . . ? 

Oh. Right, he was going to get food and stopped to rest first. Sighing, Sans reached behind him with quivering phalanges. He grabbed the jacket and stood up. His hands came up to rub tiredly at his face, clearing his damp eye-sockets.

Sans grimaced as he stared down at where he previously was laying down. How careless of him . . . He didn’t think he’d roll around this much and end up in plain sight. The thought of a monster spotting him made his soul feel like it had been dunked into icy water.

Checking his pocket-watch, it was 7:20pm. Not good. He needed to be quick if he was going to catch the last of the shop’s busy hours. Papyrus must be worried too, no doubt there. Luckily, Sans had taken an extra step and said he would be late, just in case, but he knew Papyrus wouldn’t wait easily for much longer. So, he turned down the path and sprinted in the direction of the shop; or tried to, at least. He was still feeling weary and shaken over his nightmare and it had left him feeling just as tired as he’d been before he fell asleep, if not more so. So much for another nap.

Any sounds of his running—or stumbling, were quieted by his triple layer of socks. Sans hadn’t had time to grab anything important in the ruins of their home when they fled, leaving them barefooted until they found themselves in Waterfall. Luckily, socks were a steady occurrence in The Dump, though it was hard to find many decent ones. They didn’t keep their feet as well protected from sharp rocks as shoes did, and they wore out quickly, but still, it was the best they had. Sans hoped they’d get lucky and get some fitting shoes soon.

He slowed to a stealthy walk as he neared the larger tunnels. The earth here had been pressed into harder, more compact walkways with time as generations of monsters walked through each day. No soft mud hiding pointy rocks beneath its surface. Looking both ways again, Sans judged it to be clear and scurried down the mazes of Waterfall, adrenaline giving him a little boost of energy. 

The ground at his prized hiding spot was slightly tilted downwards towards a few fissures in the wall. There seemed to be plenty of fractures in these tunnels. The monsters around here always muttered about their unease over last year’s earthquakes and the state it left Waterfall in. But to Sans, the gaps in the tunnels were a blessing.

The turtle’s shop (Or tortoise’s? Sans read in a human science magazine that there was a difference.) was a few turns down the tunnel. He used to try and sneak crabapples directly from the shop when the turtle was distracted and packing up for the night, but all too soon he had almost been spotted on his third ‘visit.’ His teleportation saved him from detection; Sans was shocked to find himself outside the entrance, his magic taking action without his say. Regardless, he bolted down the path and away from the area, food in tow. He absolutely did not want another close call like that and spent a few days pacing around here, trying and figure out a safer way to get more food. It wasn’t until he had to hide from a monster passing by, grocery bag in hand, did he get an idea. And that idea has worked ever since. He’s had to find other spots, none of them as efficient as this one, but little modifications here and there in the quiet, sleeping hours of the Underground made them pretty useful when monsters became suspicious and annoyed at this specific section. 

And so, upon arriving, the small skeleton slipped into the shadow of a smaller crevice and waited. The dim light of echo flowers could only reach so far.  
Not too much time later, a few monsters walked by in pairs, some with grocery bags full of apples and a few other food items that sadly weren’t as spherical, otherwise Sans would be able to bring Papyrus a larger variety of things to enjoy more often. The little donut box had been pure luck since the monster didn’t even notice their grocery bag had been sliced open. 

As another pair passed by, Sans didn’t move. It was too risky when a monster wasn’t alone. He waited.

And waited.

One last pair passed.

. . .

No more monsters were coming by. 

Dread and frustration began to creep up on the small skeleton. Papyrus was waiting on him, expecting something even better than the now revolting crabapples, and it seemed Sans wasn’t even going to provide him with that. Bringing his watch up to his eyelights so he’d have some sort of illumination, it was now 8:08pm. He was so dead. Papyrus was bound to be upset all night and tomorrow. Sans couldn’t blame him, though. He’s been keeping Papyrus cooped up more than usual. There had been an increase in monsters with heavy armor—the royal guard, he thought with disdain—patrolling these parts, no doubt looking for him sometimes, and he didn’t want to risk Papyrus’ safety by taking him out to explore. Not to mention he’s been so infuriatingly tired lately.

With a defeated sigh, Sans shoved the watch into his pocket. He was readying to leave and mentally prepare for another bout of trying to compromise with an angry little brother, when the sound of footsteps suddenly caught his attention. _Lone_ footsteps. 

Now much more attentive, Sans carefully inched forward and peaked out from his hiding spot. It was a lanky lizard monster dressed in fancy clothing more suitable for a place like New Home. High-heels and all. He used to see this monster almost every few food outings up until a month ago. She was heading away from the shop, grocery bag held in her curled tail. Huh, must have changed her schedule to accommodate to Sans’ frequent thieving. Not his fault she always managed to walk without anyone else around.

As she neared, Sans quietly backed up just to where the shadows were heaviest. He let a small, sharp bone materialize in front of him, and started to calculate his aim—but then the bone flickered and disappeared. Cursing internally, Sans frantically shook out his control hand and tried again. A new bone quickly came back, much to the startled skeleton’s relief. The steps drew nearer, and he tensed, knowing there would only be a short window of opportunity; the bag had to be in just the right spot for most of the food to fall into his den, and the narrow entrance to the crevice only gave him so much time and space to aim. Thankfully, he was practiced enough by now, especially since his success was what decided whether Papyrus was going to go hungry or not.

And just like that, he let his attack shoot forward when the bag was in sight. The sound of fabric ripping gave the signal for Sans to let his bullet dissipate before it was spotted, and the sight of rolling apples and other food items told him to spread the jacket out on the ground. He grabbed any fruit that made its over to his waiting hands. Two, four, six-Oh, what’s this-? Ah . . . Yuck. He glared at the cylindrical container labeled ‘Seatea.’ It tasted horrible, but Sans would eat it anyway, leave the better tasting apples for Papyrus. Magic was magic, food only looked and tasted different because it was made with a different intent. Regardless, this was a decent haul, not the most Sans has gotten in one run, but it should last Papyrus and him for several days. He didn’t dare risk another attempt on the same day. Just for caution’s sake. 

A shriek from the lizard monster made him startle and look up at her, but it was apparent that she was just fretting over her torn bag. Sans forgot this one was the dramatic type.

“My goodness, again?!” She scurried to grab two remaining apples before they rolled into Sans’ reach. How unfortunate. “And I thought Snowdin was supposed to have all of the trouble with these pesky teenagers!”

Teenagers? Is that what these monsters have concluded? Well, that makes things easier on Sans’ mind, knowing that the suspects they’re looking for aren’t anything like him. He’s managed to avoid detection all this time.

“Curse these Asgore-forsaken holes in the wall!” She hissed and pushed her way into the crevice, making it only a third of the way in. Sans backed up as far as he could with the now wrapped up food, holding his breath. Many monsters have tried the same thing, but he’s small enough to squeeze into the even narrower back of the crevice, where no one could reach. It still freaks him out every time, though. It reminded him of when the armored monsters decided to check here.  
Sans had let his eye lights flicker out so there was no chance she could see him in this dark portion of the cavern.

Eventually, with a resigned huff, the lizard monster withdrew and begrudgingly picked up the torn grocery bag she had dropped.

“Honestly, Gerson’s lucky he’s the only shop in these parts, otherwise he would’ve . . .” Her mumbling became inaudible as she shuffled down the tunnels towards the turtle’s shop again.

Feeling the tension melt from his bones, Sans made sure that no one else was hanging around before leaving his trusty hiding place completely. Spinning around on his feet, he headed straight for the abandoned tunnels, skittishly hugging the walls until the ground beneath him turned soft with disuse.

~*~

Sans paced anxiously, keeping a tight grip on the wrapped-up apples and Seatea in his hands as he thought of how to deal with Papyrus. He hadn’t gone near their cave yet, wanting to calm himself before encountering his brother. He didn’t promise anything, but still, Papyrus would be upset regardless. Maybe he really should try and find something else before going back? He wasn’t planning on it at first, having just wanted to get out of Papyrus’ range so he could rest, but now he was feeling guilty . . . No, that would take too long, and he was already devastatingly late. Sans let out a shaky breath as he held back tears. He was trying so hard to keep his brother happy, but it was becoming so difficult. Sans just needed a break. Just a day . . . No, he still had a lot to do. He wouldn’t risk a day in the future for Papyrus to go hungry. 

Sans just wished so desperately that Papyrus would be all smiles and happy. Like he used to be. But now, because Sans wasn’t able to do enough, be enough, that bright smile was dimming . . . And it was only getting worse . . . _He_ was getting worse. Sleep never came easily, and now when it did, it was starting to cling to him like tar until Papyrus was frantically shaking him awake. Another thing to add onto Sans’ list of ‘How to Make Papyrus Upset.’ The frail skeleton shook his head angrily. He needed to stop thinking of himself, Papyrus was his main priority. Once Papyrus was happy, maybe he’d start feeling better, too. Yeah . . .

Alright, well . . . time to deal with an unhappy babybones. Maybe taking Papyrus out to The Dump tomorrow will cheer him up. Satisfied with that solution, Sans began to drag his feet in the cave’s direction-

Voices mumbled amongst themselves in the distance.

“My day just can’t get any worse . . .” Sans whimpered, nearly letting defeated sob escape. He couldn’t run towards the cave, as the commotion was coming from there. Oh Asgore, Sans hoped Papyrus made sure to stay quiet. He turned around and tried to sprint towards the entrance to another tunnel on his left, but that only made him stagger to the side of the path and nearly fall on his face. He was so tired.

“Whoa!” Someone shouted. Well . . . Guess he wasn’t fast enough. Sans looked over his shoulder to steal a quick glance at the foreign monsters. A brown bunny monster, a grey and black cat monster, and some sort of snow dragon had just turned the corner.

“We didn’t expect to see anyone else down here! Hi there!” The bunny greeted. The group seemed younger than the other monsters Sans had encountered, but no stripes. Teenagers? Sans didn’t greet them in return and instead continued to leave.

“Hey, wait! Come back!” The cat called out, a hint of excitement in his voice.

“Dude, I know that look of yours. Leave them alone, they’re just a kid . . .” The bunny warned, before adding with humor, “Save it for the Gyftrot.”

There was a momentary silence as they watched Sans slink away. He managed to walk in a straight line, thankfully. Maybe they really were just going to let him leave? Thank good-

“Whoa- Wait! Guys, hold on! Isn’t he a skeleton?!” The drake gasped in wonder. Sans froze, eyelights shrinking.

“Uh, weren’t they wiped out by those rogue war veterans?” The bunny questioned.

“Obviously not!” The cat’s smug voice had some hint of malice in it that made Sans’ soul tighten. “Told ya guys we’d find something interesting down here! Hey, kid, come over here! We wanna talk with ya!” 

“Dude, didn’t your mother teach you that curiosity killed the cat? It’s a _skeleton._ ” The drake teased, but there was a bit of uncertainty in his voice.

“Oh, _very_ funny.” The cat hissed.

“Guys, come on, let’s just go. I think he’s scared . . .” The bunny muttered.

“Ha, what? More like _you’re_ scared, Bun.” The drake mocked, turning his attention back to Sans, who hadn’t dared take another step. “Should we come to you or somethin’? You don’t really look like you’re movin’.”

Oh, Sans would move alright. Move _away._ Lead them away from Papyrus, and then he could somehow lose these monsters in the deeper parts of Waterfall and then circle around through some more secluded tunnels to get back to his brother. 

Dragging in some air, another wave of adrenaline surged through his bones, Sans gathered up the last of his strength and bolted down the first tunnel he came across. He heard some excited shouts as the teens gave chase. One of the voices, which sounded like Bun’s, seemed to be having little luck calling the others back before her lighter footsteps joined in with the rest.

Much to Sans’ despair, his burst of energy was quickly gone, and the teens had already sounded like they were gaining on him easily enough even before the tired skeleton slowed. His legs felt like jelly, uncoordinated. He tripped; and with a loud thud, hit his head on the ground, too slow to bring his hands forward to break the fall. Sans drew in a sharp inhale as pain flooded his skull. He could hear apples rolling away as the jacket wrapping came undone.

The footsteps slowed to a walk as they caught up. Sans stayed where he was, too disoriented to try and get up. He could hear his bones rattling.

“Whoa, Ari, are you seeing this?” The drake muttered to his friend with realization.

“Dude! This guy’s the one that’s been messing with Gerson’s customers! Haha! Hey, you’re a little famous, kid.” Ari, the cat, trilled with awe.

“You idiots! Stop assuming things!” Bun growled as she shoved past the other two once she caught up. Her voice softened as she turned her focus on Sans. “Hey, you ok?”

“What?! You think that gossiping old tortoise-“ Oh, so it was a tortoise. Ha ha . . . “-would keep quiet about a skeleton coming around?! He’s obviously the thief!” Ari hissed.

“And since when did you get all moral?” The drake chimed in. “Ya gonna defend the Gyftrot next? It’s a skeleton, and a thief at that. Hey, Ari, you think we’d get money for turning him in?”

Sans flinched at that, and finally shifted to turn his head to look at the three above him when he was sure the tears in his eyes weren’t going to fall. They were going to bring him to the royal-guard? No- nono they'll- Bun saw him move and kneeled down to reach out with her hand. While it was a gesture of kindness, Sans’ fear-addled mind simply responded with panic. He let out a startled cry as he pushed himself away from his perceived threat. His hand was still gripping the jacket, and suddenly, he felt his magic envelop him in a familiar way-

And then there was the void.  
.  
.  
.  
And then the bright blue walls of his and Papyrus’ hideout.

 

“ACK!” A startled shriek from Papyrus broke Sans out of his bewildered daze.

“Pa . .ap?” Sans croaked out, his voice caught in his throat. Talking wasn’t a great idea. His head throbbed, his chest felt like it was being ripped open, and the room was starting to spin. Gradually, all he could see was black.

And then everything went silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope this chapter was ok! Next update should be on the 25th ^^  
> Thanks so much for the kudos & bookmarks!
> 
> EDIT: Sorry it's taking me a while to update! This is still going, but some stuff happened and messed up my schedule. I'm also revising some the story's outline since I'm not really liking how this is going so far, so when I come back, I'll probably redo the first two chapters and this story may be getting a title change :) General idea is still going to be there, though. I just want it to flow better and cover up some plot holes I've spotted!
> 
> Thank you for being patient! ^^


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